


We Have a Winner, Folks!

by HopeInHandfuls



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Arcade, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, potentially burning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 12:44:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7574494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeInHandfuls/pseuds/HopeInHandfuls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla works at Silas Arcade, carrying out an incredibly normal and arduous shift until a feisty blonde going by the name of Laura Hollis walks into her place of employment and begins aggressively shaking a claw machine. </p><p>What has she gotten herself into this time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

“Dammit! So close!” the blonde shouted, taking another quarter from her pocket and placing it into the claw machine before her.

If you were to ask the twenty-one-year-old how long she had been standing here, how much money she had spent, and at what point her sanity started to dwindle, she couldn’t quite tell you exactly, however, if you were to ask her if she would be walking away with a prize today, the answer would be a definite and assertive ‘yes’.

Laura Hollis was determination. Laura Hollis was competition. Laura Hollis meant business. Today, business came in the form of a _Doctor Who_ Tardis plush toy in a Silas Arcade claw machine just a few blocks down from where she resided with her two roommates.

No matter how much she tried, no matter how much she spent, no matter how precise she got it, whether it be moving around the machine just to see how accurate she truly was, she could not get this toy. She didn’t care if she had to stay here till closing time. She didn’t care if she had to come back tomorrow and miss work just to get this god forsaken toy.

Maybe it was the fact that her father never let her leave the arcade without a toy when she was a child, maybe it was the fact that she had her mother’s competitive gene, maybe she was simply a spoilt brat. Regardless of what the true reason was, she would keep her eye on the prize.

This was it. This was the time she was getting that toy. Her hands were shaking at this point, one hand on the up directional button, one on the right directional button, she was ready.

 **GRABBED.** The claw wrapped tightly around the Tardis and there was no escaping it this time. She had finally done it, and she couldn’t wait to take it home, and throw it onto her bed, nay, gently place it onto her bed, and have it stay there with her forever.

The rather sizeable claw picked it up, moving it closer and closer to its destination, in just a few seconds it would be hers and-

The claw. The claw dropped the toy. Laura knew these things were scams half the time but her anger could subside no longer and before she knew it she blew a valve.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS.” Laura knew it was crazy, she was asking a claw machine if it was serious, but she just couldn’t stop herself, it alerted both her and half the arcade, causing people to stare, some even laughed. She continued.

“NO, NO I REFUSE TO LET THIS STUPID MACHINE TAKE A HOLD OF ME THAT TOY IS MINE GIVE IT TO ME!” Laura began shaking the machine vigorously, or at least, what her tiny frame considered vigorous, and oh boy had she done it now, RING RING RING, the alarm began to sound in the machine.  

She grabbed her bag, beginning to step back in an attempt to run away, when smack! Something solid was behind her. A person. Laura turned around, oh god no, even worse, an employee at Silas Arcade.

Her nametag read ‘Hi my name is Carmilla’ with ‘ ~~none of your business~~ ’ crossed out. Laura wasn’t sure if she was blushing because she had just assaulted a machine or because the employee was breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was raven black, and she was wearing a red vest, employee uniform, with an equally raven black t-shirt underneath it. Her jeans were all ripped and the blonde couldn’t help but wonder what the manager lets their workers get away with in this place.

The woman before her merely sighed, before finally cracking the words Laura had been dreading.

“Is there a problem here ma’am?”

There were two ways the blonde could play this. She could tell Carmilla the truth, that the machine was messing with her, and that she had put a lot of time and money into a toy that should be rightfully hers, to which she got carried away, or she could lie, say that she had no idea, she simply walked past the machine, mistakenly hit it with her bag, and it went off.

But for all she knew this woman may have caught her in the act, seen her with her own two perfect eyes, besides, she was a terrible liar, she decided to pick the former option.

“Well, yes, there is a problem…Carmilla” staring at her nametag to imply that this is in fact why she knew her name. She continued. “You see, I’ve been here a very long time and I won that Tardis toy over there” she pointed to the machine “fair and square, it grabbed it, and just let it go just like that, I mean, is that fair? Do you want to work in an establishment that condones that?”

The employee began to smirk, finding the girl before her rather amusing.

“Cupcake, Cupcake, Cupcake, I’ll work anywhere that pays the bills, and that machine over there?” she replicated Laura’s pointing motion in an almost comical and taunting manner “works perfectly fine. Sometimes when it grabs, it lets it go in the appropriate place, other times it grabs and doesn’t let it go in the appropriate place, it leaves it there, all helpless for the next tiny nerdy human to come along.”

Laura didn’t know what she was more insulted by, the fact that this woman before her was practically flirting, or the fact that she had just practically mocked her in the middle of the arcade, embarrassing her further.

“Okay number one” Laura lifted her index finger in the form of a one, “this tiny nerdy human has a name, it’s Laura, call me by my name or nothing at all, number two” she lifted her index and her middle finger now to indicate a two “don’t you think claw machines should be based upon skill, and not luck? I mean I’d like to think I have at least some capabilities and you know what it doesn’t even matter I’m out of here see you around, in fact, maybe not seeing as I’m never coming back here again.”

Carmilla raised an eyebrow, and began to smirk once again. In fact, had she ever stopped smirking?

She said nothing as she pulled her keys, (presumably her employee keys), out of her pocket, and gave them a twirl in her long fingers. Laura was almost mesmerised before she realized just how intently she was staring, and led her gaze astray.

“Tell you what… _Cupcake_ ” the raven haired woman lingered on the final word on purpose, ignoring any statement about the blonde girl’s name. She proceeded to make her way over to the claw machine of doom, and unlock its glass cage, taking out a single Tardis toy, and locking the machine up once more. She continued. “You can have this toy, right here, right now” she waved the toy in her hands, almost teasing her, “on one condition.”

“If you even dare ask me to sleep with you in exchange for a stuffed toy, I will murder you” Laura replied, gritting her teeth like an angry kitten.

“Number one” Carmilla replicated Laura’s finger movement, her index raised “you’re hardly threatening, Cupcake, number two” once again, Carmilla replicated Laura, raising two fingers, “close, but no cigar, you come to dinner with me, tomorrow night, when I get off work.” The smirk never left her lips.

Was this woman serious? Was she actually bribing her right now with a stuffed toy? God, it was such a nice toy, and it had the official tag on it and everything and…

Whoa whoa whoa, was she actually considering this? I mean, sure, Carmilla was attractive, incredibly so, but ugh, she was horrid, and cruel, and just everything her father had told her to stay away from, but it was one date, what could happen? At least then she’d finally get the toy she so desperately wanted. It became clearly apparent, her mind was already made up.

She sighed.

“Fine, fine, what time do you get off?” she asked, defeated.

“Well, Cupcake, I can get off any time you want, but 8 o’clock works best for me” Carmilla teased.

Laura grimaced.

“You’re disgusting, and don’t call me Cupcake again” she exclaimed as she attempted to grab the toy from the woman’s hands in an almost violent manner.

Carmilla raised it above her head, out of Laura's grasp.

"Steady on there. Nuh-uh, gotta hold this as a deposit I'm afraid ma'am" she said in her best managerial voice, "you shall receive your prize tomorrow."

"I hate you already" Laura replied in her most annoyed voice, turning around and leaving Silas Arcade behind her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Cupcake!” Carmilla called after her.

“Ugh” was all Laura said, as she left the building and headed home.

This dinner was going to be a nightmare.


	2. Two

There was one thing Laura Hollis knew for sure. She was in way over her head. Yesterday, she had simply wanted to relieve some stress at her local arcade, with the hope that she would not go home empty handed. In some ways, she went home empty handed, and in others, she went home with her hands completely and utterly full, and she definitely ended up more stressed than she had been before entering the hellish arcade.

Today, she would be going on a date with an employee at said hellish arcade. An employee who was even more hellish than the establishment itself.

She had yet to tell her roommates, LaFontaine and Perry, for she knew that they would try and spruce her up and make her look all elegant and refined for her date from the depths of hell. The two of them had been trying to get her a girlfriend since dinosaurs roamed the earth and well, it was a little insulting, albeit a little endearing simultaneously. Besides, whilst LaFontaine would most likely highly approve of Carmilla and her wicked attitude, Laura could almost guarantee that Perry would splash holy water over Carmilla in an attempt to exorcise her.

Fortunately for her, the two of them would be meeting at Silas Arcade, and therefore, her roommates would not even need to see the broody raven haired woman from hell.

All she had to do was get through today, get through work, get through dinner, get the toy, and leave. She could do this. In less than twenty-four hours she would never have to see this wretched woman again, and LaF and Perry would be none the wiser.

Once she had showered, and brushed her teeth, she made her way over to her closet and dressed in her suitable work attire. Her carpool, Danny, would be here in just a few minutes, and she always felt rude when she kept her waiting, and so, she would dress in a hurry.

Laura knew that her roommates would ask later in the evening why Laura was not there for dinner, and she hated to lie to them, but in this case, she pragmatized it as the lesser of two evils.

“I won’t be home from work till later tonight, Danny and I are working overtime, so don’t wait up.” Laura said to LaF, who was munching on toast at the kitchen bar.

They simply muffed an ‘okay’ between bites before standing up to pour themselves a glass of orange juice.

When Laura left the apartment, Danny was already parked outside as usual. Her car was a rather expensive looking BMW with a lovely shine to it and the seats were so damn comfortable that Laura often found herself having one last morning snooze before she arrived at her destination.

Today was not one of those days. Laura Hollis was one edge. Laura Hollis was dreading the day and evening ahead. Particularly the evening if she was being completely honest, and it was not unlike Danny to notice it completely.

“Something up, Hollis?” Danny was lovely, and they were best friends, and in another life, they could have been something more but it just never seemed to happen between the two of them. Despite this, the red head always knew when something was up with Laura, and Laura always knew when there was something up with Danny. But Laura couldn’t possibly tell the girl who had potentially crushed on her since early adolescence that she was nervous because she was going on her first date in over a year and said date happened to be with a terrible human being who liked to make dirty jokes. It would worry Danny so much that she would most likely discretely stalk her to the arcade and karate kick Carmilla in the face if Perry didn’t get there first. No, she would have to play this cool.

“Oh no, nothing out of the ordinary, just tired and we’ve got a long day ahead!” Laura lied. Longer for some, she thought.

When they arrived at the office, Laura gathered her belongings, rearranged her blazer, and headed inside. If she could just get to her desk she could relax a little, be alone for just an hour even, just as long as no one expected anything of her.

“Hey Hollis, you wanna grab a bite to eat tonight?” Danny called, whilst Laura was simultaneously already leaving the frontal area of the building.

“Can’t, sorry, lots to do!” She said in her most pleasant voice. _Please don’t ask, please don’t ask_ , Laura thought to herself, whilst sub-consciously darting for the elevator and practically running to her desk.

She booted up her computer and lo and behold her background, _Doctor Who_. Of course. And the memories of last night flooded in. The Tardis toy, the aggressive shaking of a claw machine, and of course the attractive raven haired girl with the god complex who she would be seeing later tonight. The blonde loaded up a picture of her old cat, Mr Purry, (RIP), and removed any _Doctor Who_ remnants behind by replacing her background and former memories.

She began writing her article, ironically, it was about luck, and business. Do we work our way to the top, or do we simply have ties that get us there? Are we lucky, or are we gifted? Some individuals climb the business ladder like Laura had, other raven haired individuals worked at arcades all their lives and bribed young blonde girls into dating them with stuffed toys. Was that luck, or skill?

Laura shook her head, expelling the thoughts like some lame cartoon gimmick. Carmilla wasn’t lucky, and she wasn’t skilled, she was a manipulator and a menace. If their lives were a movie the blonde would be the refined and intelligent hero that saves the earth from desolation, and Carmilla would be the evil villain who had attempted to destroy the planet in the first place. Right now, Laura felt like a tiny planet, destined only to shatter. But Laura Hollis did not give up. Laura Hollis had a competitive streak in her that willed her to carry out this dinner if only for her pride.

The day went on slow, the blonde could hardly blame it. It was as if time itself was terrified of tonight’s prospects, and was attempting to delay it for as long as possible. When 6’oclock finally hit, the end of her shift, she remained glued to her chair, in unison with the clocks unwillingness to move forward. It didn’t last long though, as a rather tall red-head from the floor below came pinging out of the elevator.

“Cmon, Hollis, I don’t want to stay in this hellhole longer than I have to” she whined.

Typically, Laura would be inclined to agree with her, but right now? Compared to tonight’s torture? This place seemed like the pearly gates. She could picture it now, Danny’s red hair turning into literal fire, her pen hanging out of her pocket a pitchfork, the suspenders around her waist a long pointy tail.

_“Cmon, Laura, I’ll give you a lift to Silas Arcade and you can meet up with Carmilla. We can laugh about how dull you are, about how much of a nerd you are, about how you sold your soul for a stuffed toy.”_

Of course, Danny wasn’t saying these things at all, and Laura needed to snap out of it. Fast.

“Laura. Are you listening? I said let’s get going” Danny insisted.

“Whatever you say, Satan” Laura whispered under her breath, gathering her belongings.

“Huh? What was that?” Danny replied

“Oh satin. SATIN. This shirt I’m wearing. It’s satin.” _Good cover, Hollis._

“Okay? Well, that’s wonderful, I guess. Take your satin shirt and lead it to the elevator if you please” Danny retorted in a rather confused manner.

And just like that, the two of them headed to Laura’s.

When they arrived at their destination, it was now 6:30PM. The air had grown chill, and the moon hung in the sky like a spider on a string. She would give herself just under an hour to get ready before she would make her way to the arcade. Walking, of course, she had never learnt to drive and she hardly thought it a good idea to bike to a date, even if it was with the likes of the Carmilla.

She said her goodbye’s to Danny, and headed inside. Fortunately for her, LaF and Perry would be at work until 8 o’clock, and she just had to pray that she didn’t run into the two of them on the way out whilst dressed up in a fancy dress and high heels.

Wait, was she really going to go to that much effort for Carmilla? It’s not as if she wanted this date to go well, was it? I mean, the smart thing to do would be to go dressed in a garbage bag. But knowing Carmilla she’d probably be attracted to that. So instead, she pulled out her high heels from her closet, and her favourite blue dress she wore only on special occasions, and placed them on the bed.

She jumped into the shower, and gave her hair a quick wash, before jumping out, drying herself off, and placing the newfound clothes onto her person. She applied her makeup lightly, just a few dabs here and there, some hardly noticeable eyeliner, and she was done. The blonde had to admit, she didn’t look half bad for a twenty-one-year-old journalist who was going on a date with a gothic-arcade-employee-comic-book-villain-eqsue-woman-for-a-stuffed-toy.

The time was now 7:24PM. The time was also time-for-her-to-leave. She grabbed her purse, checked its contents, money? Check. Keys? Check. Phone? Check. Her willingness to go on this dinner? Not there. Guess she would have to do without that.

She pulled her keys from out of her purse, and locked the door behind her.

It was time to make her way to Silas Arcade. She sighed under her breath.

Could she really go through with this?

She lingered at her door.

 


End file.
